Large oak tree
by chloeanneeee
Summary: Based off this prompt I saw on tumblr: Kid!Dean carving his and Castiel's initials into a tree - 'DW CN ' because they're going to be best friends forever. When they're adults, Dean finds the tree again and carves a heart around their initials because now Castiel Novak is Castiel Winchester. Au


Dean Winchester was almost four years old the first time he met Castiel Novak.

The stupid kid was looking over the stupid fence at them getting out of their stupid moving van which was in the stupid drive way of their stupid new house.

Dean thought the whole move was stupid. He was expecting his parents to realise this very, very soon so they can take him back to their old house in time for his fourth birthday in three days time.

It was all really stupid and totally unfair. He couldn't even have a birthday party because the house wouldn't be ready. His dad said something about not wanting to place extra stress on his Mum because that would be bad for the baby.

Stupid baby. Wasn't even born yet and it was already ruining Dean's birthday parties.

Dean jumped down from the moving van and stomped to the front door of his house.

"I want the biggest room." He demanded, folding his arms in front of him. His Dad chuckled as he leant over his son to unlock the front door.

"Me and Mummy have to have the biggest room, Deano. There are two of us!"

"Well I get the next biggest then!" He stomped his foot. "The stupid baby gets the smallest one!"

"Yes, Dean." Dean's mother sighed as she stood behind him. She leant over and kissed the boy on the head and ruffled his hair, receiving a larger frown in response. "Why don't you go out back and see what the garden's like, yeah?"

"It's probably like my garden." A voice from over the fence floated into their front yard.

"Oh hello, little man." Mary turned to face the stranger. "What's your name?"

"I'm Castiel." The boy grinned. "Very nice to meet you."

"Well it's very nice to meet you too, Castiel!" Mary smiled at the politeness of the young boy. Dean just frowned. "I'm Mary Winchester. This here is my husband, John. And this little one is Dean."

"Mum!" Dean protested as Mary ran her fingers through his hair again. He folded his arms, scowling up at the strange boy who hadn't stopped smiling since he spoke. He had dark hair, darker than Deans but also slightly longer than Deans. Dean couldn't help but think how stupid Castiel's name was.

"Dean, say hello." The order came from John, and Dean knew better than to purposefully ignore his Father.

"Hello." He stated, not looking at the other boy and his arms still folded.

"Castiel, would you like to come over and play with Dean?" Mary invited, leaning down to pick up a box from the floor. Dean began to groan but received a clip around the ear from his Father. He rubbed at his ear as he scowled at Castiel.

"If you wouldn't mind, Mrs Winchester?"

Mary found her-self blushing at the boys manners, and wondered if this young child and her son would even possibly get along at all, but decided it was worth a shot. Dean had to make friends in this new town, and if not friends he had to get to know _someone _at least. "Not at all. Me and John have a lot of unpacking to do, and Dean hates unpacking, don't you baby?"

"Yes." Dean spoke gruffly, Mary just chuckled.

"Thank you, Mrs Winchester. I will just let my brothers know where I am."

"Of course." Mary smiled and Castiel smiled back before disappearing behind the fence and tottering back into his house.

"Be good, boy." John looked at Dean sternly as he wrapped an arm around his wife and led them into the house.

"Whatever." Dean muttered under his breath, kicking the stones underneath his feet and not caring as they chipped off the ground and flicked into the van. It was a stupid van anyway.

"Hi!" Dean jumped at the sound of the other boys voice behind him. "Oh sorry." The boy apologised, "I didn't mean to make you jump!"

"S'fine." Dean said, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't get scared." He puffed his chest out like a peacock and folded his arms across his chest, like he had seen his Dad do before. Castiel just shrugged his shoulders too and laughed a bit.

"Shall I show you your garden?"

Dean shrugged and followed Castiel through the gate to his backyard.

"Why don't you invite Castiel over Thursday?" Mary stood by the kitchen counter the next day, cutting the crusts off Dean's sandwiches, making them just the way he liked them. "Why would I do that?" Mary shrugged as she stroked Dean's hair, passing him the plate of PB & J sandwiches. "It's your birthday. I thought you'd wanna spend it with a friend."

"No. I wanna spend it with Benny." Dean bit into his sandwich and spoke with a mouth full of bread, "Benny's my friend. Castiel Novak is not my friend."

"Baby, don't speak with your mouthful." Mary sighed. "You know that Benny can't make it on Thursday, and I'm sure you and Castiel will get along fine soon enough."

"He would have made it if we hadn't moved house." Dean grumbled, his mouth still full of food, but he quickly swallowed it when he caught his Mother's eye.

"I'm sorry, baby. But that's just how it is. We need a bigger house, what with the baby coming." Dean watched as his Mother smiled and ran a hand over her pretty much non-existent bump. He rolled his eyes and took another mouthful of his sandwich, stuffing as much of it into his cheeks as he could. "Anyway, maybe this is a chance for you to make some new friends, hm?" She smiled at her son and ruffled his hair.

"Fine." He mumbled as he tried not to choke on his sandwich.

"There's a good boy. Invite him over for lunch, yeah?" Dean just nodded. "I'm sure he doesn't eat with his mouthful." She winked at him before leaving the room, patting his shoulder lightly.

* * *

Dean was ten years old when he and Castiel chose a tree in the park.

"This one looks cool, Cas!" Castiel chased Dean to the largest tree in the park, tripping over his feet as he ran and almost going into the back of Dean when the boy stopped suddenly. He smiled at the nickname Dean had given him.

"We can't climb that!" Castiel looked up at the large oak tree. The lowest branch was at least twice the height of Dean, and he was half a head taller than Castiel!

Dean shrugged, "We could do something else that's pretty cool, though!"

"What's that?"

"Carve something into it?"

Cas thought about this for at least half a second before agreeing, "Okay, that's pretty cool. But what're we going to carve it with?"

Dean dug into his large coat pocket and pulled out a pocketknife, "Dad got me this for my tenth birthday!" Dean flicked it open and closed it again a few times and Castiel shuffled backwards slightly, wanting to keep his fingers and eyes for at least a few more years. "Said something about how it makes me a man now," Dean shrugged. "I don't know."

"A man?!" Castiel's jaw dropped, "You're only ten! And I'm eleven, and I'm certainly not a man yet!"

"You're only one month older than me! Anyway, that's what my Dad said," Dean grumbled, "so it's right."

"That's stupid. We're not men. We're still kids. Kids have fun, old men don't." Castiel folded his arms, continuing to argue his point against Dean.

"How do you know!?" Dean folded his arms too, squaring up to Castiel and raising a single eyebrow.

"Well my brothers never seem to have any fun." Castiel shrugged, "Balthazar is really boring, Gabriel is really grumpy, even Anna gets annoyed with me now." Castiel sighed, his face frowning.

"How old are they, anyway?"

"Balthazar and Gabriel are twenty four and twenty…._something._" Castiel shrugged, "Anna's just turned 18. That's why she's got moody, because eighteen is the real age of an adult. As soon as you turn that you get boring." Castiel nodded, happy with his deductions.

"Were your parents ever boring?" Dean mumbled, speaking quietly.

Castiel shrugged again. "Don't know. Can't remember."

Dean just nodded, understanding. Cas never spoke too much about his family, only his two brothers and sister. He had never met his Mum, and his Dad left before Cas could remember him. He only had his siblings. Dean knew how lucky he was to have both of his parents and only _one _brother. He was bad enough, Dean couldn't imagine having another brother _and _a sister.

Castiel smiled at Dean, "So what are we going to carve onto the tree?"

Dean smiled. "Us."

"Us?"

"Yeah. D.W. + C.N"

Cas turned his nose up at Dean's suggestion slightly, "Isn't that something that couples do?"

"Huh?"

"You know, initials in a heart!"

"Oi, I never said anything about a heart!" Dean pushed Cas' shoulder with his hand, laughing at the older boys suggestion. "We can carve it here, and then in years to come, we'll see it, because even then we'll still be friends, right?" Dean raised his eyebrows, "Right, Cas?"

Castiel smiled, "Sure we will, Dean. We'll still be friends."

* * *

Dean was sixteen years old when he first kissed Cas.

"You're going on a date?"

"Don't be silly Dean, it's not a date. I'm only sixteen." Cas tilted his head at Dean's face.

"You're going to the cinema with a girl, Cas, that's a date! Well, according to my history it is anyway."

Cas raised both eyebrows at Dean's attitude, then shrugged his shoulders, "What's it to you, anyway?"

Dean shuffled his feet, "Nothing. Just concerned about you mate." Dean slapped a hand on Cas' shoulder.

"Don't be, Dean. I'll be fine."

"You'll come back over when you get back?" Dean tried to keep the pleading out of his voice.

"Sure, mate." Cas nodded, before leaving Dean's house for the next three hours.

"Dean?" There was a knock on Dean's door. Dean snapped his laptop shut and scrapped at his duvet to pull up his jeans and to reach the door handle. He unlocked his bedroom door and opened it to a soaking wet Cas standing at his door looking rather fed up. "Why is your bedroom door locked?" Cas titled his head, raising his eyebrows.

"I was…" Dean felt his cheeks flushing red, and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, glancing down, "busy….I was busy."

Cas nodded, his eyebrows still raised. "Okay."

"Come in." Dean stepped out of the way to allow Cas through, "Raining is it?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Why didn't you just get the bus back?"

"Meg insisted that I walked her home." Cas shrugged his large trench coat off and looked for somewhere to place it. Dean reached forward and took it off him and hung it on the back of his chair.

"Insisted, did she?" Cas just nodded. "Sounds a bit…forceful." He laughed it off, but heard the pang of cruelty in his own voice but hoped Cas didn't notice.

"Yeah…" Cas nodded. "She was a bit."

"Older girl, is she?"

"How did you know?"

Dean just shrugged, "How old is she?"

"Eighteen."

"Eighteen!? What's she doing going out with a sixteen year old?"

"I'm almost Seventeen, Dean!" Cas folded his arms. "Besides, older girls are good for…" Cas' voice trailed off and Dean's stomach dropped. What exactly had Cas done?

"What, Cas?"

"You know…" Cas shuffled, sitting on the edge of Dean's bed.

Dean strolled over slowly and jumped slightly to sit next to Cas. "What, Cas?" His voice was slightly more stern this time.

"Kissing, Dean! Kissing!" Cas threw his hands in the air and slapped them back into his thighs, refusing to even look at Dean. His face was flushed and he felt sweat beading on the back of his neck slightly.

Dean chuckled, throwing his head back. "You are KIDDING me?" He continued laughing before catching Cas' eye. With furrowed brows, and flushed cheeks, Cas didn't look happy with Dean and Dean stopped his laughing straight away.

"Why would I be kidding you, Dean?"

Dean shrugged, placing a loose arm around Cas' shoulders, "It's just, why would you wanna go for an older girl just for kissing? I mean, you've kissed girls before right?" Cas looked away from Dean, wishing Dean would remove his arm from his shoulder so Cas would at least feel as though he had space to breath. "You _have_ kissed someone before, right Cas?"

"I'm sixteen years old, Dean. Kissing people hasn't exactly been high on my list of things to do." Cas spat out.

"Woah." Dean took his arm from around Cas' shoulder and rubbed his face with his hand.

"What?"

"Nothing, mate. Just…didn't realise." Dean shrugged, smiling friendly at Cas. "Guessing nothing happened with this Meg girl tonight, then?" Cas shook his head. "How comes? Thought she was a sure thing?"

"Didn't feel right." Cas glanced at Dean to see Dean's lips curving into a slight smile, "Look, Dean, don't mock me. I get that you have kissed god knows how many girls, but that doesn't mean that I have to be like you! I've heard you going on for the last two years about kissing girls behind the bike sheds, or at the school disco, but it hasn't exactly been a priority for me!"

"Cas-"

Cas stood up, "No Dean. Do you have any idea what it's like to be best friends with a guy who's ten times cooler than you are?" Cas sighed, turning around with a hand running through his hair, "I just hoped that tonight I would have a story to tell you, for once. Or a story to tell my class mates about myself, rather than them telling me stories about you!"

"Cas, mate." Dean stood up, holding his hands out to Cas and placing them on his shoulders. He shook his head, "First kiss, it's not a big deal!"

Cas sighed, "Easy for you to say. You've stolen loads of girls first kisses."

"Nah, I haven't. Never been anyone's first kiss, me." Dean shrugged, "Sloppy seconds, that's who I am." Dean stepped forward, his hands still on Cas's shoulders, his fingers almost stroking his neck.

Cas tilted his head, his eyebrows furrowing. "Really?"

"Yep. Now you don't wanna go making the mistake that I did."

"What was that?"

"Snogging some random chick just to get your first kiss outta the way!" Dean smiled at Cas.

Cas blushed, knowing that he was so close to doing that tonight, and he hated the thought of doing something that Dean thought was wrong. Dean carried on talking, "You want your first kiss to be with someone special, right? Cos it's gonna be something that you remember for the rest of your life-"

"Can you remember yours?" Cas interrupted.

Dean smirked, "Unfortunately." He winked, before continuing, "Seriously Cas, you wanna kiss someone who you really care about, and someone who you've cared about for a long time." Dean smiled, not taking his eyes off Cas, and enjoying the way Cas's shoulders tensed under his touch. "Someone you feel a spark with. Someone who…someone who you really like. I want you to remember your first kiss, and not cringe when you look back at it…" Dean would like to say he wasn't sure where the impulse came from, but it felt so natural that he hardly questioned it. He tipped his head forward and closed his eyes as his lips touched Cas'. Cas tensed, but Dean was relieved that he didn't pull away. He stroked Cas' neck softly, telling him through his touch that it was okay, and that this was fine, and that honestly this was _nice._

He opened a single eye to find that Cas was staring back at him. He pulled away slowly.

"You're meant to close your eyes, Cas." Dean smiled, his fingers still stroking Cas' skin softly and he never wanted to stop.

"Why would I do that? I wouldn't be able to see you then." Cas smiled, placing a single hand on Dean's waist. "You said that I had to remember this for the rest of my life, right?" Dean just nodded, his heart lumped in his throat, "I wanted to remember what you looked like when you were somebody's first kiss."

Dean looked at his best friend standing in front of him, his best friend who he has just _kissed _and realised that for the first time in all of their friendship he was speechless, so he just kissed his best friend again and again and again until they decided that Cas might as well stay the night, and they spent all night cuddling in each others arms and kissing until they fell asleep together.

* * *

Dean was nineteen when he and Cas broke up.

His own words burned in his mind as he buried his face in his pillow to drown out the sound of everyone else in his house. He could still hear his father's booming voice vibrating through his floor.

"It was always just a phase, Mary! My son is _not _gay! He was never gay before we moved here!"

"He was four years old when we moved here, John! That was fifteen years ago!" Dean smiled as he heard his Mother defending him. That's all she seemed to do nowadays, she and Sam. They defended his sexuality more than he did, though he never did like standing up to his Dad.

"It's that Castiel! He infiltrated and _poisoned _my son, Mary! He's better off without him! He'll be a better son without that…_person _involved in his life!"

"Your son is upstairs, heart broken, and all you can think about is what sort of son he is to you!"

"He is not heart broken, Mary. He's pathetic."

"John!"

"He is, Mary. He needs to man the fuck up!"

"That's enough, John." Dean heard Mary slam something heavy onto the kitchen worktop and he decided that he had heard enough. He threw himself off his bed and opened his window. He slid it open, climbed out onto the porch and threw himself into the front garden. He began walking out and then he saw a shadow of a man appear on the path outside his garden.

"Cas?"

"Hello, Dean." Dean sighed and dropped his head as Cas walked towards him.

"Cas…please, don't." Dean shook his head, feeling his eyes well up with tears but forced himself to keep them in. "I don't deserve this." He looked up at the clear night sky and wished he could count all the stars in the sky, because perhaps then he would deserve Castiel's love. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I know." Castiel kept walking towards him.

"No, you don't. I didn't mean a word that I said to you. I promise you that. I didn't…" Dean's voice caught in his throat as Castiel came within breathing distance of him.

"I know you didn't, Dean. That wasn't you talking. It was your Dad's words and the drink and-"

"But it was, Cas. It was me, you can't make excuses for me, because that was me talking but I didn't mean a word of it, I swear. I don't wanna become my Dad…"

"Dean." Cas took Dean's hands in his and Dean couldn't hold the wall back anymore and he let his head flop forward onto Cas' shoulder and soaked it in tears.

"I'll never drink again, Cas, I swear."

"Dean…" Cas rubbed Dean's back and let him cry. He mumbled 'it's okay's and 'youll be fine's in Dean's ears, as Dean whispered his apologises. It felt like hours before Dean stepped away, but Castiel missed his contact almost immediately.

"I don't expect you to take me back, Cas."

"Dean-"

"I wouldn't take me back."

"Dean, please-"

"My Dad's right, I'm a disappointment to the family and I will never be what he wants."

"Dean!" Cas pulled Dean forward by his wrists and Dean swore the earth had cracked in half the moment when their lips collided as his whole world shook around him.

"Please, Cas." Dean murmured against Cas' lips once they pulled away from air, "Please don't do this…"

"Don't do what?" Cas kissed him again, their eyelashes fluttering together and making Dean's skin shiver.

"Don't treat me like I deserved to be loved."

Cas took a step back, still so close to Dean, but close enough to see him fully. "Dean…"

"Cas, please…" Dean's voice was shaking and tears were falling.

"I've never met anyone who deserved to be loved more than you. I am taking you back, Dean Winchester, whether you or your father like it or not."

They kissed again as the rain began to fall and went back to Castiel's house to lose themselves amongst each other and to wake up tangled in each other's naked limbs.

* * *

Dean and Cas were twenty-six when Sam and Jess got married.

"Dean, please don't-"

"Sammy, sit down and shut up. The best man has gotta make a speech."

"Dean."

"Jess, control your man!" Dean chuckled, before turning back to the audience. "When Sammy first brought Jess home, he was seventeen years old. Well, at least I _think _that was the first time he brought her back, they could probably sneak in through Sammy's bedroom window after a late night and his bedroom's far enough away from our parents room to do what ever they wanted!"

"Dean!"

"Sit down, Sammy, I'm only kidding. I'm just kidding. Kind of." He winked down at Jess and ,unlike Sam who was blushing into his champagne, she was laughing with her head swinging back and her arm sloped around her new husbands shoulders. "But really, when I first met Jess I knew they would get married. Honestly. The way he looked at her…he'd never looked at another person like that. And I'd never seen anyone look at my Sammy the way that Jess looks at him and I never thought I would. I mean look at him, the ugly mut! I'm kidding, but I am so happy that she came round for pizza and chips that night, because Sammy deserves all the happiness he gets.

I've got some badass embarrassing stories about little old Jess here though, but seeing as her old man is in the building I won't repeat any! No worries, Mr Moore, your daughter is a walking angel! Sammy on the other hand, well he's a little devil isn't he? I remember the first time he ever kissed a girl. He came running into my room, jumped on my bed shouting I kissed her on the mouth; I kissed her on the mouth! I shouted back, I should hope so Sammy boy. You're only eleven, I don't want you kissing anyone anywhere else quite yet. He replied – Don't worry Dean, I'm not a slut like you! Cheeky bugger.

Little was I to know that the first girl he kissed on the mouth would be the girl he would be eventually be kissing up the aisle and in front of all our family in friends, after pledging to spend the rest of his life with her.

Sammy is the best little brother I could have ever wanted, though I remember quite distinctly I wasn't exactly happy to have him in my life when Mum was showing just a bump. But, I've had twenty-six years to get used to him and I've grown kinda fond of him. Jess, however, I've only had ten years to get used to her but she's the little sister I've always dreamed of having. She's intelligent, kind, and absolutely gorgeous – look at her in this dress, Christ! And she bakes the best cookies I've ever tasted in my life – no offence Mum! And even better, she makes my little brother happy. I've never met anyone who deserves to be loved more than Sam and Jess.

To be honest, this happy couple here are my best friends. They've been there for me when I've needed them most in the past ten years. With the passing of our Dad – John Winchester -, I don't think me, Sammy and Mum could have got through it without dear old Jess here, and of course, my partner Castiel." Dean pointed to his left towards Castiel, and felt his lover's hand slip into his and he smiled. "Jess, I wanna thank you for everything you've brought into our lives - being a daughter to my mum, being my little sister, being Castiel's best friend, and for making my bitch of a little brother happy,

Everyone, raise your glasses. To Sam and Jess Winchester."

"You were brilliant up there, Dean."

Dean had his head rested on Castiel's shoulder. One hand was clasped in Castiel's and the other rested on his hip as they swayed in time to the music. He couldn't even hear it properly with Castiel's lips so close to his ears, sounded like Elvis though.

"Thanks…"

"Really though. I was watching Sam and Jess. Jess couldn't stop smiling, Dean. And Sammy…well when he had his eyes off Jess, he was looking at you through tears of joy."

"Sammy? Crying? Never."

"Mmmhmm." Castiel nodded. "I'm proud of you." He pressed his lips to Dean's cheek.

"Thanks, Cas." He pulled his face away and pressed a chaste kiss to Cas' lips. "I do love weddings."

Cas smiled into the kiss, and pressed it even deeper, his fingers gripping at Dean's waist. "I do love you." He replied.

Dean smiled, pulling Cas in close to him once again. Over Castiel's shoulder he watched as Sam and Jess also swayed in time to the music, their eyes locked onto each other, only closing when their lips locked instead. They looked as happy as Dean felt, and suddenly Dean felt his heart pound in his chest so hard he was sure Cas could feel it. "I love weddings. You love me. So, let's have our own." Dean murmured, so quietly that he wasn't even sure he had really said it.

"What?" Cas pulled away, searching Dean's eyes for an answer.

"Let's have our own wedding." Dean smiled, wiggling his eyebrows at Cas, as though daring him to answer.

"Really?" Dean just nodded. "You really mean it, Dean? This isn't just the drink talking…?"

"Cas. I never let the drink talk when I'm talking to you anymore…" Dean stepped back, taking Cas's hands in his own. "Look over there, behind you, at Sam and Jess." Cas turned to look and saw them as Dean did, before turning back to Dean.

"What about them?" Cas smiled, his cheeks twitching as his eyes sparkled.

"They look happy right?"

"Of course they're happy, they just got married, Dean."

"I want to make you feel that happy." Dean whispered, stepping closer towards Cas. "For the rest of your life, I want to continue making you happy. I want to be yours." He kissed Cas softly, "I want to marry you, if only you'd do me the honour." He kissed Cas again. "Will you? Will you do me the honour of being mine, forever?"

Cas kissed Dean again, deepening their touch and pressing their noses together, "I will."

* * *

Dean and Cas were thirty years old when they picked a tree in the park.

"It's our three year anniversary, Cas. I had to do something!"

"You don't have to do something every year, Dean. I know you still love me."

"Well…I just like to show it." Dean shrugged, a smug grin folding over his face. He whipped a blanket out of his backpack and placed it on the ground by a large oak tree. Swinging the bag off his shoulder he settled down onto his knees. "Are you going to join me, Mr Winchester?" He motioned to the space on the blanket in front of him and sat back onto his bum.

"Of course." Cas smiled and sat almost on Dean's lap, though the blanket was enough room for an entire family. After a few moments of Dean unpacking the bag of treats, Cas spoke again. "I like this park."

"Mmm." Dean had a mouth full of sandwich, so he just nodded and smiled at Cas.

"Baby, don't talk with your mouth full."

Dean swallowed, "You sound like my mother."

"Your mother is a lovely lady, so that is nothing but a compliment." Cas smiled, leaning forward and kissing Dean. He opened his eyes as he pulled back and saw something in the corner of his eye. "I don't believe it…" he stood up, shrugging his trench coat off and leaving it on Dean's laps.

"What's up? Cas?" Dean wiped crumbs off his lap, and moved Cas' coat to one side, before standing up and following Cas over to the tree that was behind them.

"It's us…" Cas looked at Dean and smiled.

"Well, I'll be damned…" Dean watched as Cas stroked his finger over the tree bark and over the work of art that was carved there twenty years before. "I can't believe it's still here."

The letters DW & CN were carved into the tree, and as Cas dropped to his knees they were at his eye level. "Twenty years later, hey? Here we are again." Dean dropped to his knees besides Cas and dug his hand into his pocket. "Reckon it needs updating?" He pulled out a pocketknife and Cas smiled, nodding and shuffling over making room for Dean.

Cas watched Dean for several minutes, but Dean covered up his work until it was finished. When Dean pulled away, Cas could see the edits Dean had made. A heart had been carved around the letters and Cas felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and pull him into Dean's chest. "You're no longer Castiel Novak, I'm afraid." Cas looked closer at the initials and saw the change. DW & CW.

"Dean…" Dean pulled Cas into him and kissed his forehead.

"I know, and I love you too, Castiel Winchester."


End file.
